Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-01-08
THE TIFFIN INQUEST.
FREIGHT CONDUCTOR FLETCHER TRSTIFIES
THAT THE ENGINEER WAS DRUNK.
Hs Saw Him Take -Four Drinks Of Whisksy While
Making the Run-TesinOny Of Other Members
Of the Crews Of the Wrecked Trains-A
Man Missing From Burton, WA.

CLEVELAND. January THE inquest
into the cause Of the Baltimore and Ohio
wreck at Republic, Ohio, was begun at 2
o'clock this afternoon at Tffin. A special
to the Leader says that the City Hall
where the inquest is being held was
crowded
The first witness was F. Fletcher, con.
ductor of freight train.
He said: "Ed Killer was engineer ofthe
freight, and W. J. Cullison fireman.
eve ran from Tiffin to the Seneca siding
about three and one-half miles east of here
and sidetracked for the east-bound ex
press. After this train passed, We had
forty-five minutes in which to make the
Republic siding. We left this place with
140 pounds OF steam. After going two
miles l noticed that the train slackend.
went forward over the cars, eighteen in
number, to the engine to see what was
wrong. found that the
STEAM HAD RUN DOWN
to forty pounds. Iopened the door of th,
furnace and looked at the fire, then looked
at my watch and saw that we had bui
four minutes until No. 6, the west bound
express was due. l took a red and white
lantern and ran ahead to flag her. got
about hundred yards in the curve and
signalled to stop. AS the express ap
preached, l noticed that the engineer had
reversed his engine. In the meantime the
freight had come to a stand and the en-.
gineer had shut off steam and jumped of
when the collision occurred.
THE ENGINEER HAD BEEN DRINKING.
1 saw him take two drinks OF whisky al
Bloomdale and two at Fostoria. When
saw we had but four minutes to make the
siding at Republic, the engineer did not
seem to realize the danger ahead. | tried
to get passengers out of the burning cars.
One man was iammed between the smoker
and the ladies' car. l tried to get him
out, but the flames drove me away and he
had to burn. / heard no shrieks or cries
of others in the burning cars"
w. j. Cullison, fireman on the freight,
was next called. He said he was farm
hand, and had been on the road but three
weeks, and
NEVER KNEW ANYTHING ABOUT THE Rus.
MESS BEFORE.
He said = eve had trouble in keeping up
the fire. We had one hundred and forty
pounds of steam when we left Seneca
Siding. The train ran four or five miles
when the steam was down to sixty pounds.
We were then going about three
miles per hour. The conductor
came in and looked at the
fire and said it was all right. When the
conductor went ahead to flag and saw the
express coming he yelled back for US tc
jump. After the collision tried to get
persons out ! saw persons in the burn
ing wreck, but l was so excited could
tell but little about it,"
Charles Snyder, of Columbus, Ohio, was
FRONT BRAKEMAN
on the freight. He said: 81 was in tn,
cab Of the engine and noticed that they
had but one gauge of water when they
should have at least three. was goinc
ahead TO flag but the conductor grabbed
the lantern and went. knew nothing
about either the conductor or engineer
drinking. At the collision | saw a mar
hanging about half way out of the smoker
who called to me for Gods sake TO help
him out. The man was supposed TO b,
NJ. II. Parks of Washington. heard nc
one on the inside of the smoker"
CONDUCTOR HEsKETT TESTIFIES.
Themas,F. Heskett, of Wheeling, W. Va.
conductor of the express on the night OF
the collision, testified: ''The express was
three minutes late at Republic. | had
about sixty passengers, fourteen or fifteen
in the smoker. OF that number five es-
capped from the smoker, two by being
thrown out Of the top ofthe car uninjured,
and three somewhat injured. / think
there were not more than ten
killed. | have in my possession cards
thrown from the smoker having the
name of NJ. II. Parks, Washington, ID. c.
OF the number killed, the names Of seven
are known. b. J. Hale, of Rowan, Ind.
was the rear brakeman on the freight, and
when the collision occurred he took Ian
tern and went in the rear about a mile 10
flag any other train that might be COM
ing"
The inquest will be resumed in the
morning